Rail-joint.



W. H. PATERSON.

y RAIL lolNT. APPucATloN FILED FEB. 9, 191s.

Patented J111y11, 1916.

WILLIAM H. PA'innson, or inns ivioiNEs'iowA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1916.

Application led February 9, 1916. Serial No. 77,222.

To all whom t mag/concern:

soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county of Polk and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification. 4

This invention relates toI improvements in means for connecting the meeting` ends of railway rails, and the object of the invention is to provide a comparatively cheap simple and effective construction whereby the rails will beheld against sinking, creeping or lateral movement, but whereby the said rails will be permitted a limited and desired amount of longitudinal movement incident to the expansion and contraction of the rails.

Vith these and other objects in View, the improvement resides in the construction,

combination and arrangement of partsset forth in the following specification and falling within the scope ofthe appended claim.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement applied, and Fig.

2 is a transverse sectional view approxi-v mately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing, of the ordinary construction which have their ends abutting and which are supported upon the usual ties 2 2. i The ties ,are spaced a suitable distance from the meeting ends of the rails. The rails 1 have their webs provided with the usual elongated bolt openings.

My improved rail connecting means comprises two similarly constructed members aiid each of said members is rolled or otherwise shaped from a single plate of suitable metal. Each of the rail securing members, indicated by the numerals 3, is formed with an outwardly rounded portion 4 from which extends the substantially vertically straight plates 5 and 6. rlhe upper plate 5 has its inner face channeled, as at 7, so that the same will not centrally contact with the webs of the rails and the upper edge of each of. the plates 5 is adapted to be disposed a slight but suitable distance below the heads of the rails. The lower inner portion of each of the plates 5 also does not contact with the webs of the rails, but the inner face of the upper member 8 of each of the outwardly rounded portions 4, below each of the plates 5 is provided with an angular surface 9 1-1 designate two rails which isadapted to contact with and grip Be it known that I, IVILLIAM H. PATERf the1 upper angular side of the flange of the rai s.

The plate 6 at its juncture with the lower flange-10 of the outwardly curved portion 4 is rounded inwardly, providing the same with what may be termed ya longitudinally extending lip 11, and the upper wall of the plate is formedwith a horizontally straight surface 12 upon which the base flanges of the rails are received. The plates 6 are of a materially greater width than are the plates 5, and the lower edges of the plates 6 may rest on the road bed if desired. Thev lower edges of the said plates 6 are provided with inturned portions or ribs 13 which contact with each other when the plates are assembled, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The plates 5 are provided'with bolt openings which register with the bolt openings in the websv of the rails and suitable bolts 14 pass through the alining open-l ings, the said bolts being provided with securing nuts 15. The plates 6 are also centrally provided with bolt openings through which pass bolts 16, securing nuts 17 being provided for the said bolts.

By reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing it will be noted that the rounded portions 4 of the members 3 do not contact with the edges of the base flanges of the rails but pro- .vide a pocket to receive the said edges. These rounded portions 4 serve as spring elements whereby the surfaces 8 and 12 will be forced toward each other, so that a wedging engagement will be afforded between the said surfaces and the opposite sides of the base flange of the rails. It will be further noted that the surfaces 8 and 12 are disposed approximately in a direct line with the head of the rails so as to centrally support the said rails and to tend to absorb the shock and jar at this portion of the rails incident to the rolling stock passing over the rails.

It will be apparent thatv whenthe nuts 15 and 17 are screwed upon their respective bolts 14 and 16, the central or what may be termed the channeled inner faces of the plates 5 and 6 will be forced toward each other and as a consequence tend to contract the rail receiving space provided by the members 3 and so force thel walls 9 and 12 into, tight contact with the opposite surfaces of the flanges of the rails and as a consequence provide a firm and thoroughly eective joint which will positively hold the rails in alinement.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

The combination with the meeting ends of two rails, of a joint for the rails, said joint comprising two similar companion members each formed from a single plate of metal and one arranged upon each of the sides of the rails, each of said members being shaped to provide a horizontally arranged longitudinally disposed rounded portion, the ends of which being exten/ded inwardly to provide horizontal portions which are adapted f to exert a tension toward each other and which are adapted to receive and contact with the opposite sides of the base ianges of the rails at points approximately in a line with the head of the said rails, the upper' contacting portion being extended vertically and received in the fishing spaces of the rails and engaging with the underfaee of the heads of the rails, means for connecting said plates with the Webs of the rails, the lower contacting portions having their edges abutting and rounded and being extended downwardly in parallel relation with each other and having their lower edges rounded inwardly and contacting, and means for connecting said downwardly extending plates. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM H. PATERSON. l/Vitnesses:

JAS. B. WEAVER, GEO. ROTH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

